A special video message from Executive Director Richard Elliott and an Awards for Action (Dec 4 2012) sneak peek!

PositiveLite.com supports the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network in every way we can because, like the work they do for people living with HIV, it’s the right thing to do. Here Richard Elliott explains, with news of a special event featuring Stephen Lewis.

Richard Elliott: This has been an important year for the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. In recent weeks you have likely heard from us with updates on critical issues that affect the lives of people living with and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. I wanted to inform you directly about these activities, as we have been at the forefront of very important issues, with many clear victories. If you have a few minutes, please take the time to watch this short video update below.

I would like to also remind you to join us on December 4, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Law Society of Upper Canada (Convocation Hall) to celebrate the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and honour recipients of the 2012 Awards for Action on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights - Dr. Philip Berger (Canadian recipient) and the Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice (International recipient).

The Awards for Action were established in 2002 by the Legal Network and Human Rights Watch to highlight outstanding contributions that decrease vulnerability to HIV and AIDS and protect the rights and dignity of those infected and affected. They honour excellence and commitment to work that has a direct impact on HIV and AIDS and human rights issues - and particularly work that directly benefits marginalized individuals and communities.

This event will also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network - a global leader in the movement for health and human rights.

We are thrilled to have Stephen Lewis as our keynote speaker. As a Canadian politician, diplomat and international envoy for humanitarian efforts, Stephen Lewis has dedicated himself to improving the human condition and is a dear friend of the Legal Network. Formerly the Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, he is Chair of the Board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation in Canada, Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, and Co-Director of AIDS-Free World, an international AIDS advocacy organization based in the United States.

In addition to Stephen, we are delighted to have Suhana Meharchand from CBC News as our host and we will also have a special performance by Andrew Forde, a dynamic violinist who has shared the stage with such talents as Mary J. Blige, Sting, Justin Bieber, Sheryl Crow, Akon, Pitbull, Kardinal Offishall, k-os and Eddie Bullen to name a few.